Ko Ko is a 1945 bebop recording by Charlie Parker, widely seen as one of the first landmark bebop performances. It was recorded on November 26, 1945 at WOR Studios in New York, with Parker on alto sax and a lineup that included Miles Davis on trumpet in some accounts, Curley Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums; Dizzy Gillespie and Sadik Hakim are also mentioned in various notes, and the exact personnel remains debated. Parker later said Miles did not play trumpet on Ko Ko, while Gillespie has claimed he played trumpet on the session. The tune is built on the chord changes of Cherokee by Ray Noble and moves into fast, virtuosic improvisation around 300 bpm, beginning with a harmonically ambiguous intro and a bold Bb major shift. A drum solo by Roach follows the Parker solo, and the piece ends with a brisk, abrupt coda that leaves the cadence sounding unresolved. Ko Ko is often cited as Parker’s first record as a leader and a defining moment in bebop, and it was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2002. It was originally released as the B-side to How High the Moon on Savoy 597 and has appeared on numerous Parker compilations.
